Waikato Strike Winner Celebrates $600,000 Win

A Waikato man can’t believe his luck after discovering the Strike ticket he picked up earlier in the week won $600,000 with Strike Four.

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, has had a run of luck lately after winning a small prize with his ticket in Saturday’s draw.

“I won $29 on my last ticket – I was really happy to have won something! When I popped into the Lotto shop to claim the prize I decided to used the winnings to buy myself a Triple Dip for Wednesday’s draw – then I didn’t really think any more of it,” said the man.

It wasn’t until Thursday afternoon that the man discovered just how much luckier his week was about to become.

“I was heading to work on Thursday when I decided to nip into the supermarket to grab a drink. I was about to head back to the car when I remembered I had my ticket in my wallet, so figured I might as well check it while I was there,” said the man.

After handing his ticket to the Lotto operator, the man soon received the surprise of his life.

“I heard the winning tune play and saw ‘First Division winner’ pop up on the screen – but it didn’t really click until the operator leant over and whispered to me, ‘you’ve just won Strike Four!’,” the man said.

“I immediately thought, ‘oh my gosh!’, but I was actually pretty calm in that moment. It wasn’t until I was filling in the prize claim form in their back office that the reality of what was happening really hit me… and I realised I could pay off the mortgage!”

With the news of his win fresh on his mind, the lucky man decided to keep things as normal as possible and headed straight to work.

“Luckily I was pretty busy at work so didn’t have a lot of time to stop and think about the win – the day just flew by. But I couldn’t wait to get home and tell my partner the good news,” said the winner.

“As soon as I stepped through the door that night I said, ‘darling, I have amazing news!’ – I couldn’t hold the good news in a moment longer! Being able to share the news and celebrate together was just incredible. It’s a moment we will remember for the rest of our lives.”

With his prize now claimed, the winner is looking forward to paying off the mortgage, celebrating with a special trip away and helping out his family.

“My partner and I have been working so hard for such a long time, so to be able to pay off the mortgage is an unbelievable feeling. After that, we’re going to celebrate the win by travelling around the South Island, which is something we’ve wanted to do for years,” said the winner.

“Family is really important to me, so I’m really happy to be able to help them out as well with this win!”

The winningStrike First Division ticket was sold at Te Kauwhata Foodmarket in Te Kauwhata.

Meanwhile, there is $20 million up for grabs with Powerball First Division on Saturday. Players can buy a ticket for Saturday's $20 million Powerball draw in-store at a Lotto store, online at MyLotto.co.nz or through the Lotto NZ App.

© Scoop Media